The Shell of an Avatar
by vantasbodypillow
Summary: As soon as her heart began to soar, though, it fell. Along with her stomach. She had the sinking feeling that she was falling and suddenly she realized that hey, she was right. She had slipped at the edge of the cliff when she spun. M for suicidal thoughts. One-shot.


It felt like an eternity.

Well, of course, it wasn't that long. But hell if it didn't feel like hours on end, though it was, in reality, only somewhere around thirty minutes. As soon as they had arrived back at Korra's home, Katara began her work on her. Everyone expected, with Katara being the greatest waterbender and healer in the world, for her to save Korra's Avatar abilities. However, Korra knew better.

Back in Republic City, after Amon took Tahno's bending, he had told her that they couldn't fix whatever Amon did to him, and he went to the greatest healers in Republic City. As much as Korra wanted to believe she could regain her ties to her three missing elements, she knew it would be impossible. So she wasn't so broken up inside when Katara told her that there had been nothing she could do.

As Katara left the room, Korra sat up with a saddened look. She was only in her wraps, since she had to take her clothes off for Katara to work on her. She stared at the blue fabric of her pile of clothes, off in her own world. The whole time Katara had been working on her, she had been making a plan in her head. She was no longer an Avatar. Though she still had the title, and she would still be named as the current Avatar until the next came along after she died, all she knew was airbending now. What kind of Avatar only has only a single bending ability? It was like she wasn't an Avatar at all, just a normal airbender. She grit her teeth and got up, throwing on her clothes.

She had already made a game plan in her mind, already accepted her fate. She was going to kill herself, and let the new Avatar be born. One with the ability to learn all of the elements, and be a real Avatar, unlike her. She was just the hollow of an Avatar now that her ties with water, fire, and earth were cut.

She opened the door to see everyone, Lin, Team Avatar, the Airbending family, her mother and father, and Katara. They all immediately looked at her, as if expecting her to say something. Really, what was she going to say?

Well, if she were to say something, it would be the exact opposite of what Tenzin said. "It's going to be alright, Korra." What a ludicrous statement. Nothing would be alright. Nothing would ever be the same.

"No. It's not." She pushed past Bolin and Mako, grabbing her coat and beginning to walk down the steps to Katara's house. She began to walk toward Naga. She would do this quietly, just slip away from everyone else. No need to make anything dramatic.

However, at the sound of footsteps coming down the steps behind her, she growled quietly to herself. She knew exactly who it was. the same person who had been doting on her ever since she came back from being kidnapped by Tarrlok. "Korra, wait."

As Mako neared her side, she cast a scowl his way. "Go away." she said icily, hoping that her grumpy attitude would be enough for him to leave her alone or something.

Of course, though, that would be too easy.

"I will," He said, giving her a reassuring smile. "But I just want you to know, I'm here for you."

Korra clenched her fists. No, she wasn't going to have any of his sappy shit right now. "No! I mean go back, to Republic City! Get on with your life." she crossed her arms and averted her gaze from the boy.

She saw, from the corner of her eye, the furrow of his eyebrows. He was confused. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm not the Avatar anymore," she replied coldly and matter-of-factly. "You don't need to do me any favors." She began to walk toward Naga once more, trying to close the case.

But, once again, things are never that easy for her. "I don't care if you're the Avatar or not." she heard him say, his gloved hand stopping her by grabbing her shoulder. He sighed and his hand slipped from her shoulder. She turned to hear what he had to say.

"Listen, when Tarrlok took you, I was losing my mind at the thought of never seeing you again!" He took a few steps closer, looking down. Oh shit. Oh shit, she knew what was coming. This couldn't he happening.

"I realized…" He took a deep breath, looked into her eyes, and cupped her face gently in his hand. "I love you, Korra." He said softly.

Her eyes widened and lips parted slightly. Remember that game plan she had a while ago? Yeah, it's in shambles now. Of all the times, between their first kiss to now, he had to choose _now _to confess, when she's in the middle of contemplating suicide. Confusion and sadness washed over her expression. Mako loved her? And he chose to admit that, right before had planned her own suicide?

She pulled Mako's hand from her face. "I… I can't," she stuttered, turning on her heel and running to Naga.

"Korra!" she hard him shout, but she ignored it. She hopped on Naga and rode her away, far away from the scene, as far as possible, leaving a brokenhearted Mako in her tracks.

She grabbed Naga's fur and buried her face into the back of her neck as she rode away, trying not to cry.

Korra hadn't noticed where Naga rode at all, she just let her run to where ever. She would stop if she hit the edge of the Pole or anything, she knew that. She felt her beginning to slow and looked up, and through her blurry vision, saw a cliff. Naga stopped just as the woods thinned out and Korra hopped off, walking off to the edge.

She couldn't think. Her mind was clouded with confusion. She walked over to the edge and looked down at the bottom. She finally let the stinging tears fall from her eyes, watching as one dropped from her chin and fell down to the bottom. She griped her hands in a fist tightly, dropping down to her knees with a sob and covering her eyes with her hands. She sat there for a while, just crying. Why couldn't she sort out her feelings?

Anyone who knew Korra knew that she depended on her bending with her whole life. It gave her the courage she needed. Without bending, she would be a mess. If she wasn't the Avatar, she was nobody. Everyone knew her as the Avatar and, hell, even she knew herself only as the Avatar. She knew only one person that forgot she was the Avatar because he loved her for who she was. And that…

…that person was Mako.

After she felt as if she couldn't shed another tear, she looked up from her hands and out at the horizon. She began to feel her head clear a bit. And then she realized something. She needed her bending back to feel like somebody. Maybe she didn't have to kill herself to get it back.

Maybe… Maybe, if she went into the Avatar State, she could get her bending back. All that meant was that her life needed to be in danger, right? It couldn't be that hard to get into danger.

I mean, she was at the edge of a cliff, after all.

She scrambled to her feet and once again situated herself at the edge. She looked down hesitantly. She raised a foot out over the edge. _But what if it doesn't work? You'll be dead._

She stifled a sob and withdrew her foot, covering her face with her hands. She couldn't do it, she was too scared. There was just too much to hold onto in her life. She couldn't risk it.

"Korra! What are you doing?" she heard a voice yell. Her heart did a flip-flop and, without thinking about it, she spun around quickly as she saw him, gasping as she saw Mako. She felt her heart soar at the sight of him. _Mako._

As soon as her heart began to soar, though, it fell. Along with her stomach. She had the sinking feeling that she was falling and suddenly she realized that hey, she was right. She had slipped at the edge of the cliff when she spun. She felt her feet leave solid ground and as she lunged to grab onto the cliff, she felt various parts of the front of her body being smashed against the unforgiving rock. She shrieked and threw her arms over it and tried to grab hold, she she was slipping like an avalanche.

"Mako! Help!" she screamed, only the tips of her fingers grabbing at the cliff. She struggled to use her airbending, but she hadn't quite learned how to use it outside of desperation in a battle.

"Hold on, Korra!" he called, sliding his knees to the edge where she was hanging and almost falling off himself. He grabbed her wrists and called upon all his strength to pull the thin but muscled girl up onto solid ground once more, scooting back from the cliff and enveloping her in a tight hug.

Korra returned it, sobbing quietly into his shoulder, her usually strong and confident looking physique looking quite fragile and broken. She hurt all over from banging her body against the rock as she tried to climb up the cliff. She buried her face into his shoulder, her fingers curling into the fabric of his jacket.

"What were you thinking?" he mumbled to her, petting her head gently, holding her close and tight, trying to remember that she didn't kill herself, she was right there in his arms, safe and sound…

She just shook her head. "I'd rather not talk about it." she mumbled.

He grabbed her chin and raised her head to look into his eyes. "Tell me."

His golden gaze captured her and she stuttered for a second before finally explaining what had happened, since she came to the South Pole to now. Occasionally she would feel his arms tighten around her or loosen. By the time she was finished, she felt so guilty that her voice was at a quiet mumble.

"Well, aren't you lucky I came after you?" he asked in a rhetorical question, sighing and cupping her cheek, stroking the head of his thumb against the soft skin.

"Look, Korra," Mako said with a sigh, looking her in the eyes. "You don't need to be the Avatar for people to care about you. You don't need bending to be accomplished. And you definitely don't need either of those to be the Korra I know and love. Got it? You're perfect in every way, with or without bending."

Korra smiled a bit for the first time since her and Mako figured out they could reveal Amon at his rally. She looked up at him and situated herself to sit in his lap, her legs wrapping around his torso. This way, she was a least somewhat taller than Mako. Somewhat. She leaned forward, cupping his cheeks. "…Mako?"

He stared into her eyes lovingly and wrapped his arms around her, a rare smile gracing his lips. "Hm?"

"…You are seriously the greatest person, friend, _and _boyfriend in the entire world." She saw his confusion at her last proclaimation and grinned. Well, she would have to clear that up, wouldn't she?

Soft tan lips met a gentle pink pair in a kiss, her arms curling around his neck. Korra could almost feel the heat radiating off his cheeks and concluded it was because he should have known better, known what she meant. However, she also felt a bit of a smile twitch at his lips and she couldn't help but grin. His arms wrapped around her waist and, in response to her grin, his lips upturned in a smile against her lips.

They liked each other a lot and knew one hundred percent that they were meant for each other.

The only difference?

Korra learned that first.


End file.
